Fidlock Vacuum phone case + base

The Fidlock Vacuum phone holder system is a secure and convenient way to use your smartphone as a display on your bike, using a very clever magnet and suction system to hold it on your handlebar or stem. This really is an excellent bit of kit.

The Fidlock system comes in two parts: a vacuum handlebar base (£29.99) which attaches to your bike's handlebar or stem, and a vacuum phone case (£29.99) which your smartphone can live in all day long, on and off the bike. Magnets snap them together and suction seals the deal.

> Buy the Fidlock Vacuum phone case & base for £49.98 from Leisure Lakes

I'll come back to the details of how it works in a mo; the really important question is how well the two parts stick together because your smartphone is probably worth a lot of money and the last thing you want is to see it careering down the road.

I'm not saying it's absolutely impossible to remove the vacuum phone case – and with it your phone – from the base by accident, but you'd have to go some.

Separating them on purpose is simple. Pressing down on a ring that's part of the base removes the suction, and that means it's just magnetism that's left holding the two parts together. Then you can just pop the phone case off.

If you don't do that, though, the base has a limpet-like hold on the case. You'll be surprised at the strength of the connection.

In the interests of research, I used the system on the handlebar of a bike set up on an indoor trainer and purposely whacked my knee into the phone case (it's funny what some people do for a living, isn't it?). That wasn't enough to dislodge it.

You're more likely to spin the base forward on your handlebar – and with it the phone case – than to separate the two parts. Plus, in the real world, I found it far more convenient to mount the base on the stem rather than the handlebar (you can do either) for a central position, and you're even less likely to knock it there.

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How does it cope in a crash? Call me uncommitted but I'm not about to purposely hit the tarmac to find out, but I did attach the system to a knackered old bike at the back of the lockup and improvised. Not exactly scientific, admittedly, but the phone case always stayed in place.

I also put the system on a bike and hit the phone case with a rubber mallet (I took my phone out first; I'm not an idiot). If you whack it pretty hard, you can knock the case off the base, but I'd suggest that if it takes a direct hit in this way, the safety of your phone is going to be the least of your concerns.

The bottom line is that the phone case could separate from the base if you're involved in a nasty smash, but anything short of that and it's going to stay put. For everyday, incident-free riding, your phone isn't going anywhere.

Okay, so back to how Fidlock's system works.

First, your smartphone sits snugly inside a toughened ABS plastic phone case with a TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) border that's designed to be impact resistant. Different cases are available for different phones. The case is similar to a zillion others out there, covering the back and sides of your phone, with holes for the camera, charging port, and so on. The difference is that there's a magnet slap bang in the middle.

Then you have the vacuum base. I had one that attaches to the handlebar or stem via a little collar that's tightened by a thumbwheel. It'll fit around anything with a diameter of up to 40mm (officially; unofficially, you get a little more space). Fixing this vacuum base in place is tool-free and takes seconds, but it's much more convenient to leave it on your bike when you remove your phone.

Fidlock also offers a vacuum base that attaches to your handlebar by zip ties (£29.99), one that fixes to the top of a headset top cap (£29.99), and even one that you can fit to textiles, such as a backpack strap (£34.99) – so various options allow you to get a setup that works for you.

In use, the system is stable. I fitted it to various bikes and it always performed superbly – even over lumpy, bumpy gravel. The suction cup measures 60mm across while the plastic centre which mates with the phone case is 35mm – which is a fair old proportion of your phone's width. It doesn't vibrate any more than a bike computer on a standard mount. Reading the screen while you're riding along isn't a problem. Okay, things can get blurry over really rough off-road surfaces, but that's the same for any head unit. The Fidlock design just works.

If your phone isn't sitting quite straight, or you want to turn it from portrait to landscape, you can rotate the case on the vacuum base. There are 48 positions, if you really want to know, and a ratchet stops the case turning accidentally while you're riding.

If you're worried about gunk getting to your phone while it's positioned out front, Fidlock offers a universal phone case (£34.99) that's said to be waterproof and sandproof, although I haven't used this so can't comment on the performance.

You can also get a car mount (£29.99) and a tripod (£34.99) that are compatible with the phone case, so you can use the system elsewhere too. If you don't want to use Fidlock's phone case for any reason, there's also a universal adhesive patch (£14.99) that you can stick to other cases to make them Fidlock compatible.

Oh, one other question: are the two magnets (one on the phone case, one on the vacuum base) going to do anything strange to your smartphone if you aren't careful? Nah, they're safe, and they won't affect other electronics either. The case isn't suitable for wireless charging, though.

Value

We've reviewed various systems for holding smartphones on your handlebar or stem. The BTR Silicone Handlebar Mobile Phone Mount (£19.99, currently reduced to £14.99) is pretty cheap but mounting/dismounting a phone isn't as simple as Fidlock's design and it doesn't offer the same level of protection.

Quad Lock's system is really impressive and offers plenty of security. You're looking at £22.99 for a case and £29.99 for an Out Front Mount, so a fairly similar overall price to a Fidlock system.

The Zefal Universal Smartphone Adaptor Bike Kit is cheaper – a setup for an iPhone 14/15 is £34.99, for example. The Fidlock is slightly easier to use, though, and the fact that you can get non-bike accessories will be a draw for many.

Conclusion

If you want to mount your phone to the front of your bike, the Fidlock Vacuum Phone Holder system does the job really, really well. It's secure, stable, reliable, and super-easy to use, and is compatible with non-bike accessories too.

Verdict

Very smart and secure system for mounting your smartphone to the front of your bike, and super-easy to use